Laundry machine



March 14, 1961 B. A. BUSS HAL LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed March 3, 1958 INVENT'ORS Ben aminAl/mn Bug BY Jchn E, Kit/3M mza aym sv mifrm ATTORNEYS United States Patent LAUNDRY MACHINE Benjamin Alvin Buss and John E. Krynski, East Moline, 111., assignors to American Machine and Metals, Inc., East Moline, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. a, 1958, Ser. No. 718,677 1 Claim. (31. 68-58 This invention relates to commercial type washing or laundry machines and particularly to a washer-extractor which is divided into a plurality of compartments.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provi-de an improved Washing drum construction for a commercial washing machine to improve the washing action thereof.

A commercial washing machine of the type concerned usually has a shell or housing with a rotating drum or receiver therein mounted on a substantially horizontal axis. Partition means are secured within said drum to divide the same into a plurality of compartments. The partition means are connected or secured to the interior periphery of the drum at spaced points and have ribs intermediate the center of the drum and the interior periphery thereof. Extending inwardly from the interior periphery of the drum are a plurality of ribs. Each of these ribs is approximately centered between the points Where two adjacent partition means are connected to the interior periphery of the drum so that each of the ribs facing into each compartment forms an apex of a tri angle.

According to a further aspect of the invention thefluid is supplied to the interior of the washing drumthrough a hollow trunnion having angled radial bores therein, so that the spray pattern may take a predetermined form.

According to a still further aspect of the invention the drum is divided into three compartments by three identical arcuate partitions secured at both ends to the interior periphery of the drum and secured to an adjacent partition in the vicinity of its ends. Each partition has a rib formed thereon on each side of its center. Since the partitions are identical, the ribs on adjacent connected partitions are in line. The partitions form a hollow generally triangular shaped form at the center of the washing drum.

These and other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings which are merely exemplary.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of laundry machine to which the invention may be applied, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the laundry machine of Fig. l with parts broken away and other parts being shown in cross-section;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one half of a washing washing drum embodying the principles of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross-section of the novel trunnion of the invention, taken along the line 4-4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The invention will be described in conjunction with a clothes washing machine for clothes or the like of the type particularly suitable for use in commercial laundries known as a washer-extractor, in which the washing drum is rotated at one speed to wash and at a higher centrifuging speed, to extract substantially all of the water from the material being washed. As can be seen in Fig. 1, shell or housing 10 may have a rotatable drum 11 therein which has a plurality of perforations in its peripheral surface 17 to permit fluid to flow between the interior of the drum and the interior of housing 16'. Access to the drum is provided by hinged door 12 mounted on the front of the housing, which permits the loading or unloading of one compartment of the drum at .a time. One or both of the end walls .13 of drum 11 may have scoops 14 for facilitating the ingress and egress of fluid from the drum or cylinder 11 to housing 10.

The receiver or drum, as shown in Fig. 3, is divided into three compartments, although it may be divided into a different number of compartments if desired, by three identical arcuate partitions 15. Each partition 15 has a longitudinally extending rib 16 parallel to the axis of the drum on either side of its center when in its attached position. Each rib 16 is approximately centered between the center of the drum and the periphery thereof. The ribs-may be secured to the partitions, as by welding or riveting, or 'be formed as integral parts of the partitions. In the form shown in the drawings, each partition has one rib adjacent one end and the other rib spaced from the other end, so that when the partitions are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the ribs are approximately the same distance from the periphery of the drum. Of course, the partitions or ribs may be formed in any manner, so long as they retain the desired relationship to the other elements of the combination as, for example, illustrated in Fig. 3. The partitions have a plurality of perforations formed therein to permit the washing fluid to flowv through them.

The partitions 15 may be attached together adjacent the place where the ribs 16 are secured thereto or formed thereon, so that the ribs 16 on the respective attached partitions 15 are in alignment. The ends of the attached partitions are secured to the outer peripheral surface 17 of drum 11 approximately equal distance from each other. When the partitions '15 are connected in this manner, they divide the'drum, as can best be seen in Fig. '3, into three compartments having an approximately equal volume and having a general cross-sectional shape of the common area of intersecting circles, i.e. the two walls of each compartment are in the form of arcs ofa circle which meet to form a generally V-shaped portion at the point of intersection. As can also be seen from Fig. 3, the partitions 15 form a hollow, generally triangular shaped form at the center of the drum 11.

A longitudinally extending rib 18 is attached to or formed on the interior periphery of drum 1.1 for each of the compartments. Each of these ribs is generally parallel to the axis of the drum and is approximately centrally located between the walls of the compartment formed by the partitions 15, i.e. approximately equidistant from the adjacent points where the partitions 15 are connected to the interior periphery 17 of the drum. Thus, three ribs extend into each compartment and each forms an apex of a generally equilateral triangle.

It has been found that a drum of the above described construction results in improved Washing of the materials laundered. It can be theorized that, as the drum 11 is rotated, the materials move from a position between ribs 16 on the surface of partition '15, then drop to the inner peripheral surface 17 of drtun 11 against rib 18, then move to the V-shaped area formed at the intersection of peripheral surface 17 and partition 15, and then drop again to the surface of the partition 15. Thus, the materials being washed are lifted or dropped from the surface of partition 15 against rib 18 and then squeezed into the V-shaped area, resulting in a Lift- Bump-Squeeze washing action. This arrangement of ribs and perforations tends to result in a better distribution Patented Mar. 14,. 1961 g of the clothes in the drum (in each compartment) during extraction, thereby reducing vibration. It is believed that this results in the peripheral ribs 18 tending to distribute the load over a longer are and thus to give a thinner goes from one end of the trunnion to a point inside of drum. The open end of the trunnion is connected through a rotatably sliding connection to suitable hose means 21 connected, in turn, to a source of washing and rinsing fluid (not shown). A plurality of radial bores 22 are formed in the trunnion permitting spraying of fluid from bore 20 to interior of drum 11. In the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3, these radial bores are angled relative to the vertical axis of the drum and are spaced uniformly circumferentially in trunnion 20. The spray is emitted from bores 22 under a pressure of approximately 50 p.s.i. Although the spray pattern which results from the particular positioning and arrangement of the bores 22 shown has proven particularly effective, other arrangements might be used with satisfactory results. Also, the trunnion spray and triangular or similarly shaped compartment will serve to better distribute the water through the apertures in the partitions.

It is to be understood that variations can be made in the details of construction and operation of the invention Without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a washer extractor, the combination comprising a rotary drum mounted on a substantially horizontal axis, arcuate partition means having apertures therethrough within said drum dividing the same into three compartments having the same volume, said partition means heing connected to the interior periphery of said drum along circumferentially spaced longitudinal lines thereon, said compartments having a cross-sectional shape defined by the common area between two intersecting circles so that an arcuately shaped generally triangular central portion is formed by said partition means, horizontally extending ribs on said partition means intermediate the center of said drum and the interior periphery thereof, each of said ribs in the respective compartment being spaced from the interior periphery of the drum the same distance as the other rib, only two of said ribs on said partition means extending into each of said compartments, the ribs extending into each of the compartments being spaced the same distance from said interior periphery as the ribs in the other compartments, and one horizontally extending inwardly directed rib in each compartment on the interior periphery of said drum approximately centered on the portion of said interior periphery within the respective compartment, each compartment thus having only three inwardly directed horizontally extending ribs therein forming, in cross-section, an imaginary isosceles triangle defined by imaginary lines connecting the innermost points of these ribs, in which each of said ribs acts as an apex of said imaginary triangle, a hollow trunnion passing through and supporting said drum for rotation therewith, said trunnion passing through said arcuately shaped generally triangular central portion, a plurality of spaced angled bores extending from the hollow interior of said trunnion to the exterior surface thereof, means for introducing fluid into the hollow interior of said trunnion, so that the fluid is dispersed from said trunnion, through said partition means and into the interior of each compartment in accordance with a predetermined spray pattern.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,164,619 Jefferson Dec. 14, 1915 2,041,293 Koon May 19, 1936 2,070,192 Zarafu Feb. 9, 1937, 2,660,870 Kennedy Dec. 1, 1953 

